Important Innovations

  2020 To Be Record Year For EVs in Europe                                                  Source:  Audi New Analysis In the first half of 2020, electric vehicles comprised 8% of car sales in Europe.  According to a new analysis by NGO Transport and Environment, EV's are on track to triple their market share for all of 2020 in Europe.  This is very significant growth despite the COVID pandemic clobbering overall vehicle sales.  The actual number of EV's sold in Europe is expected to double to 1 million for the year 2020. European Regulations and Incentives In the broader picture, several factors are helping to increase electric vehicle sales.  The European Union is tightening car emission standards and will continue to ratchet-up standards to reach its 2030 EU climate goals on carbon emissions.  Plus, Germany and France have put attractive EV purchase incentives into place. Overall, electric and plug-in hybrid EV's will account for 10% of European car sales in 2020.  The b

  New Consumer Reports Analysis                                                  Source: Toyota Prius Another Great Reason To Go Electric According to Consumer Reports, electric vehicles, over a lifetime, are vastly less expensive to maintain than gas powered cars.  In fact, they cost half as much to maintain.  And, the savings are about the same whether the car is a hybrid or totally battery operated.  This is another great reason, on top of zero emissions, to consider going electric. Numbers Tell the Story Consumer Reports analysis breaks it down this way.  Over the lifetime of the vehicle, ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles cost $0.061 per mile in maintenance and repair costs.  Electric battery cars like the Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model 3 cost $0.031 per mile and plug in hybrids like the Toyota Prius cost $0.030 per mile. Consumer Reports Conclusion According to Consumer Reports, EV repairs are much less frequent and the vehicles don't need as much maintenance as gas powere

India:  Big New Market With EV Commitment For Tesla to Sell Into                                                                                          Source:  Tesla CEO Elon Musk Confirms by Tweet Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he will expand Tesla operations into India in 2021;  Responding to a Tweet asking when he will start selling Tesla electric vehicles in India, Musk tweeted "Next year, for sure."  The move should be strategically smart for Tesla, despite the fact that Covid at the moment has infected 6 million people there.  It would come at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focused on promoting the use and manufacture of electric vehicles in India. India's EV Dynamics The government of India is doing a hard push for electric powered vehicles. By 2030, the government wants at least 30% of all vehicles on its roads electric.  In New Delhi, it will have 2,000 electric public transit buses in operation by the end of 2021.  And the state of Delhi it is looking

  New Cobalt Free, Less Expensive Battery                                                       Source:  Tesla Model 3 On Model 3's in China Tesla has made an important move on the battery front in China.  It's about to start selling Model 3 vehicles in China equipped with much less expensive, cobalt-free lithium ion phosphate (LFP) batteries.  China-made Model 3's currently use nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries.  The starting price in China with government incentives on Model 3 is $39,900.  Reuters says the Tesla announcement about the battery upgrade may come tomorrow. EV Marketplace In the electric vehicle marketplace, the technology race is all about bringing down battery costs and extending range.  Cobalt is one of the most expensive metals in the world.  Taking that cost out of the battery will be a big savings for Tesla. Tesla is expected to use the China made LFP batteries in all Model 3 vehicles made in China.  That will significantly bring down the cost of produci

  Unprecedented Amount of New Energy Innovation                             Source:  SAIC-GM MINI EV, SAIC (lower) Hydrogen, Electric, Hybrid Vehicles China's biggest automaker SAIC Motors plans to introduce an unprecedented 100 new energy models with its partners by 2025.  The new energy vehicles include hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles.  The hydrogen and battery electric will have zero emissions.  60 of the new energy models will be SAIC's own brands.  10 will be hydrogen and 20 plug-in hybrid models.   Beijing International Auto Show The announcement was made by SAIC President Wang Xiaoqui while the Beijing International Auto Show is underway. It is the first large, in-person global auto show since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.  SAIC partners with Volkswagen and GM, both of which have big plans for selling electric vehicles in China, which is the world's largest auto market. The GM-SAIC partnership has already resulted in th

  New Flying Car Unveiled Source:  Xpeng Electric Vehicle Market Hot The Beijing Auto Show 2020 opened today and it is a rare, in-person trade show event in the Covid-19 worried world.  The show stopper was the unveiling of a new electric flying car by the Alibaba-funded China startup Xpeng.  The all-electric vehicle has eight propellers and a capsule-like frame that can sit two.  It's one of a series of flying vehicles that the electric automaker Xpeng is developing.  The prototype at the moment can reach 16.4 feet in altitude.  Xpeng says the future of vehicles will include smart mobility autonomous driving features and other technologies that will create "a multidimensional ecosystem that will be very exciting". China Auto Market Strongly Recovering China is the world's largest automotive market and it is in recovery mode from the Covid lockdowns.  Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida, during a news conference via satellite from Japan, said Nissan sales in China have returned

Dubai's Electric Experiment Source:  Dubai Wireless Charging on the Move Dubai is testing electric buses that can pick up charging while on the move.  The dynamic wireless charging unit is embedded in a 60 meter stretch of roadway in the city.  It uses a new technology called "shaped magnetic field in resonance (SMFR). The result is seamless charging of the electric bus without it having to stop at a charging station.  What's fascinating is the system can be used for personal transportation like an electric car as well as public transportation like electric buses. Electrified Roads and Electrified Vehicles This new technology is designed to overcome battery limitations of range, cost of charging and finding a location to charge the vehicle. The SMFR embedded road system activates when a sensor picks up that an electric vehicle is driving over it.  A pickup coil is attached to the underbody of the EV to make the connection work and the charge flow into the

Electric Goals for 12 New Models on the Market  by 2023 Source:  GM Chevy Bolt EV  Cadillac Leading the Way GM is launching a dozen, brand new, electric vehicles by 2023.  The new EV's are coming from a number of its divisions, including Chevrolet. But,  first and foremost is Cadillac, which for GM is leading the electric, zero emissions driving way of the future. e-SUV's Two Cadillac electric SUV's will be the first to launch, followed by the GMC Hummer electric pickup truck that was teased in an ad during the 2020 Super Bowl. 2023 Next are three more Cadillac EV's and six Chevrolet, Buick or GMC EV's by 2023.  GM's plans were unveiled during a Wall Street analyst meeting in February.  The EV's will join GM's growing lineup of hybrid and all electric vehicles including their all electric bikes, the Meld and the Merge that can be purchased in The Netherlands and Belgium. Designed to Be Profitable GM CEO Mary Barra says,

BAE System's PHASA-35 Solar Aircraft Source:  BAE Systems Potential to be Airborne for a Year  British defense giant BAE Systems just unveiled and test flew a solar powered, unmanned aircraft called the PHASA-35.  The plane, designed for the military, has the potential, according to BAE, to remain airborne for a year without ever touching down.  PHASA stands for Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft.  It's a unique EV that could usher in a new form of green flying. Satellite Replacement One of the many things fascinating about this new solar electric aircraft is the potential uses.  BAE says it's an affordable and persistent replacement for satellites.  They add it can be used for communications, 5G networks and surveillance.  The highly advanced EV can avoid bad weather by soaring into the stratosphere. Maiden Flight The plane was built in collaboration with BAE subsidiary Prismatic that is located in Slovenia.  It has a 35 meter wingspan.  Incredibly, t

Expands EV Portfolio with LA Startup Canoo Source: Canoo Hyundai Developing New Platform for EV Cars, Trucks, SUV's  South Korean automotive giant Hyundai is broadening and deepening its future transportation and electric vehicle lineup through a new partnership with Los Angeles EV startup Canoo. The two are partnering to develop a distinctive, new skateboard platform that Hyundai can use to produce a wide range of inexpensive electric cars and e-vehicles. Skateboard Platforms Skateboard platforms are the rage for EV manufacturers with major players like Detroit-based Rivian and Israeli startup REE getting significant outside investments to develop their own skateboard platforms.  What stands out about Hyundai is that its investment commitment into future mobility technologies for EV's in particular is now hitting an unprecedented amount of $87 billion over the next few years.  Their partnership with Canoo is their latest partnership commitment to the future of EV